The Servant's Secrets
by Screaming Faeries
Summary: Barty likes secrets, and he has a lot of them. Moments in time between Barty and different characters. Not related. Written for the Dark Characters Drabble War.
1. Secrets in the Stars

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 1: "There's a lady in a dirty nightgown that I see in my dreams." - _The Conjuring_

 _-_ Pocket Mortys Challenge: Psychokinetic Morty - Write about someone using wandless magic

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Mrs. Crouch

 **Word Count:** 349

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 **Secrets in the Stars**

Mrs Crouch ran into her young sons bedroom at the sound of his screams, and crouched down at the side of his bed. "Barty, dear, what's wrong?" she shouted over his wails, reaching out to clamp a hand to his forehead. His skin was clammy and wet, his sandy hair sticking to his face. "Calm down, sweetie."

Gasping, Barty focused on his mothers face. He sucked his breaths in shallowly, as though each wheeze of his lungs was too much effort. Finally, when he was relatively composed, he grasped his mother's hand, digging his nails into her skin. She didn't complain, instead using her free and to stroke back his damp fringe. "Mummy, it was awful."

"What was awful, my love?" she asked soothingly, tucking the blankets under Barty's chin.

"There's a lady in a dirty nightgown that I see in my dreams," he whispered, his brown eyes wide and doe-like. In a lower tone, as though he didn't want his father in the next room to hear, he added: "I think it might be Granny."

Mrs. Crouch burst into a short peal of laughter, and then shook her head as Barty's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, honey. I'm not laughing at you. Honestly, I think I've had nightmares about Grandma, too."

Barty blinked up at her. "Really?"

"She's a very scary lady," Mrs. Crouch said. "But don't tell Daddy I said that," she added in a whisper. Barty's face broke into a grin, and he nodded vigorously. He loved secrets.

"It's our secret, Mummy."

"Good boy," Mrs. Crouch said. She sat up, and looked up at the bare ceiling. After thinking for a moment, she waved her index finger in a slow, spiralling motion towards the ceiling. Before Barty's eyes, a group of blinking, soft white stars erupted above him. "These special stars will watch over you while you sleep, baby," she promised, and leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. "Mummy loves you."

"I love you too, Mummy," Barty whispered, his eyes slipping shut as Mrs. Crouch left his bedroom.


	2. Secrets in the Family

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 2: "If you touch my [son/daughter/mother/father/etc] again, I'll f*cking kill you!" - _The Babadook_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Mrs. Crouch

 **Word Count:** 435

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 **Secrets in the Family**

"Stupid boy," Mr. Crouch muttered under his breath as he and his son walked through the door of the Crouch household. "How could I have made the ridiculous choice to take you on as my intern? 'Have your boy come work for us, Crouch!' they said. Bah," he slammed the door angrily, and Barty rolled his eyes.

It wasn't the first time that he and his father had returned home with the latter in a terrible mood. The truth was, Barty just didn't care for working at the Ministry of Magic. He only did it because it kept his days occupied, and stopped his father from discovering where his true loyalties were.

"Hello, boys," Mrs. Crouch croaked from the kitchen. The poor woman was only in her late forties, but she had grown frail very quickly. However, she still did her best to get up and make dinner every night, even though the simple task exhausted her. Barty could smell dinner on the table already, and as he passed his mother, he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Thanks, Mother," he whispered. "Please sit down, I'll get you some tea." Sometimes, he hated the choices he was making, purely because he knew it would only have negative effects on his mother. But he couldn't stay a prisoner in this house with his father.

Mr. Crouch turned his nose up at his wife's meal of mashed potatoes and steak. "Is this it, woman?" he snapped, shaking his head irritably. "Where are the vegetables? The gravy?"

"I'm sorry, Barty," Mrs. Crouch replied softly as she eased herself into her chair opposite her husband. Barty filled the teapot dutifully, and placed it on the burner. He picked his own plate up and began to eat his dinner quietly. "I didn't get out to the grocery store today, and I forgot about the gravy."

Mr. Crouch stood up suddenly, and reached across to grab at Mrs. Crouch. He didn't get far, however, as Barty threw his dinner plate down suddenly and lunged at his father. He knocked him to the ground, his bowler hat falling off and rolling across the linoleum floor. "What are you doing, boy?" spat Mr. Crouch, as Barty pinned him to the floor.

"If you touch my mother again, I'll fucking kill you!" he screamed, spraying spittle in his father's face. He gave him one last threatening throttle, and backed off, leaving Mr. Crouch splayed on the floor. "Come upstairs to the lounge, Ma," he muttered, still staring at his father. "I don't want to have dinner around this horrid man."


	3. Secrets in the Library

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 3: "You want to be treated like an adult, but you don't act like one!" _\- Sinister_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Hermione

 **Word Count:** 453

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 **Secrets in the Library**

Libraries were always Hermione's favourite place to go, no matter how big or small they were. Whether they held the grandest, oldest tomes, or the thinnest, most thumbed-through magazine. There was something about the musty old smell of moth-eaten carpets and sweaty, library-dwelling bodies that seemed to draw Hermione in. She could head in the minute it opened, with her bushy hair scraped back in a messy bun and a Styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand, and not leave until the sun went down.

When Barty first met Hermione, he had thought her obsession was cute. He didn't mind visiting the library with her, for numerous reasons. He had read a lot during his time at Hogwarts, due to his excessive studying, so he didn't mind being surrounded by books. Not only the books, but every library he had ever visited was full of shadows and nooks and crannies, all perfect for sneaking in for a quick, heated make-out session.

But things didn't go his way. It turned out that the library Hermione most liked to frequent was a _Muggle_ library, which meant it was full of Muggles. He couldn't act his usual, magical self around Muggles, but he also could act his usual _normal_ self, either. Unlike the rest of the libraries in Britain (as Barty presumed), this library had its shelves around the walls, leaving a vast space in the middle with tables for everyone to sit at. And Hermione just loved to sit right in the middle, where she could easily call over to the librarian on duty if she needed to.

It was ridiculously boring, and nothing like he expected. More often than not, he would find himself playing around with pens or whatever was lying around. On one day, it just happened to be the pile of books that Hermione had dragged over to the table. Carefully, he had arranged the pile in a neat, tall stack—but a passing patron had accidentally (on purpose, Barty thought angrily) knocked the table, sending the books.

"Can't you go play over in the corner with the childrens toys?" she snapped irritably, glaring over her reading glasses at him. Barty glowered, hating the way that she spoke to him.

"Do you have to speak to me like a child?" he snarled, ignoring the repeated shushes of the librarian behind him.

"You want to be treated like an adult, but you don't act like one!" Hermione hissed, snapping her book shut. Barty stood up from the table, his chair clattering to the floor behind him.

He often wondered if he jumped out of relationships too quickly—but this would never work. Hermione Granger was just too mature for him.


	4. Secrets at Breakfast

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 4: "How can you go through life pretending that you're happy?" _\- Saw I_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Andromeda

 **Word Count:** 501

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 **Secrets at Breakfast**

Barty sucked in a breath as Andromeda Black, an older student at Hogwarts, sat down beside him and reached for a piece of toast. He couldn't understand why she had chosen to sit beside him, and frankly, he felt a little intimidated. Maybe it was because she was from one of the most prestigious families in the country, or maybe it was because she looked so much like her older, much scarier sister.

It was probably the latter.

"Can I help you?" Barty mused out loud, looking weary. She smiled through bites of toast, apparently uncaring about the crumbs that scattered down the front of her robes. She swallowed each bite carefully, and dabbed her mouth before speaking.

"I wanted to talk to you about Regulus."

Barty felt every ounce of colour drain his face. _How did she know?_ His mind raced, trying to think of any possible occurrence that his secret relationship with Andromeda's younger cousin could have been noticed. They always tried so hard to keep to the shadows, only touching or kissing when they were absolutely sure that they were alone. In public, they barely interacted, terrified of any rumours that might surface. Regulus would be abjured from his bloodline if they were discovered, and as for Barty...

Well, Mr. Crouch might just about kill his son for embarrassing him.

Andromeda laughed suddenly, bringing back down to the dizzying present. He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, hastily trying to come up with a defensive statement. "Save it," Andromeda said, waving a hand in his face. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Barty, ensuring that no one else would hear them. "Regulus told me everything. He confessed to me during the Christmas holidays. I think he just needed someone else to talk to about this...situation."

Barty let out a breath, thankful that they hadn't been spotted or discovered around the school. However, his defensive wall still stayed up—he didn't know if he could trust Andromeda yet. "What are you going to do?" he asked warningly.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, if that's what you think," Andromeda snapped, looking appalled that he would even suggest the notion. "I just...I want you to know that you're not alone. Regulus isn't the only member of that family who is having a secret relationship. A _wrong_ relationship." She mimed air quotes around her head at the word 'wrong.' "If you need someone to talk to, I'm always here."

"Thanks, I guess..." Barty replied carefully.

"You just have to keep going until you finish school, then you can...I don't know, elope or something. You just have to pretend everything is okay."

Barty nodded slowly. "But how can you go through life pretending that you're happy?"

Andromeda shrugged. "I guess it just gets easier. Maybe eventually you start to believe it." She stood up from her seat as Barty nodded again, and rubbed the top of his head lightly. "See you around, kiddo. Remember where I am."


	5. Secrets with the Help

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 5: "I have to know if she's alright." / "Why?" / "Because I love her!" / "Alright, gay..." - _Shaun of the Dead_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Winky

 **Word Count:** 446

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 **Secrets with the Help**

As Barty and his best friend Regulus jumped off the Hogwarts Express for the final time, he took a long stretch, before casting one last look at the steam train. He couldn't believe that he'd never be riding that train to Hogwarts again.

But life went on. He and Regulus had plans for the next couple of weeks to travel around England, but there was something he had to do first.

His house-elf, Winky, hadn't written to him for several weeks. Barty knew it was strange, especially to others, but Barty had always had a very close relationship with Winky. In some ways, the house-elf was as much as a mother to him as his own mother had been, especially when Mrs. Crouch had become gravely ill. For many years, his only company in the lonely manor was Winky, and he cared a lot about her.

He couldn't help but wonder if his father had disposed of Winky during Barty's final year. It was true that the house-elf was becoming depressed in Barty's absence. She had nothing to really do with her time when he was at school, as Mr. Crouch was out at work from early in the morning to very late at night. With no one to serve, she was lapsing into ill thoughts, and Mr. Crouch had commented several times on her uselessness.

He wouldn't stand for a useless servant in his house, and the idea angered Barty. He knew that Mr. Crouch would spare no thought for Winky when he killed her—or, in his words, "put her out of her misery."

"So, where are we going first?" Regulus exclaimed as they entered King's Cross Station.

"I need to go home first," Barty said automatically. Regulus furrowed his brow. "I know, I know. I just have to check on Winky."

"Your house-elf?" Regulus raised an eyebrow, and Barty rolled his eyes. Regulus sounded so judgemental, but he knew that his friend felt very strongly about his own house-elf. But Kreacher's life was much different—he had many people to serve at Grimmauld Place. He wouldn't be boring himself into a depression. "Why?"

"I have to know if she's alright."

"Why?" Regulus's eyebrow seemed to arch even higher.

"Because I love her!" Barty yelled suddenly, earning several odd glances from passers-by. He felt colour rising to his face. His worrisome thoughts of how Winky was at the moment were causing him to become emotional.

Regulus snorted. "Alright, gay," he sniggered, and linked his arm through Barty's. "Fine, lets go check on your house-elf." He paused. "But then we'll go and check on mine, okay?"

Barty grinned. At least he wasn't alone.


	6. Secrets in the Circle

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 6: "If you're gonna start killing, you best start make sure I'm all the way dead, because I'll come back and make you my bitch." - _The Devil's Reject_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Bellatrix

 **Word Count:** 539

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 **Secrets in the Circle**

Barty's throat constricted as he finally lay down on the thin, grubby mattress of his hideout. He was a paranoid wreck, and he knew that there was no way sleep would find him tonight.

He had just murdered his comrade. Someone who he knew the Dark Lord would definitely miss, but he couldn't help it. Anger had struck him in a vicious and emotional way, as it often did, and he had reacted without thinking.

Bellatrix Lestrange had thrived off the heinous act that she, Barty and the Lestrange brothers had performed on Frank and Alice Longbottom. She had laughed at their pain, moaned alongside their cries of anguish. Rodolphus and Rabastan seemed to get off on her disgusting reactions—they had continued to torture the Longbottoms just to continue gauging a reaction from Bellatrix.

Barty had done it for other reasons. He was scared; scared of his father, scared of the Dark Lord, scared of _Bellatrix._ He had gotten himself wrapped up in something that was much bigger than him, and now he couldn't get out. But when Bellatrix continued to gloat about the torture over and over again, he couldn't help himself. He had thrown himself at her in a fit of rage, and stabbed her with her own knife, over and over again.

When he was covered in blood and Bellatrix's pale corpse lay on the floor, he had escaped from her manor before the Lestranges could find him. And that was how he got to this point, laying on a dirty old mattress in a squalor of a house.

A sound of rustling outside grew louder, and Barty began shivering. He knew the Lestranges would come for him - he had just murdered Rodolphus's wife, for Merlin's sake. But he had hoped he would at least get one more night to sleep before he was murdered.

He heard the rusty old door creak. Whoever was out there had effortlessly broken down his wards. Footsteps crept along the floorboards, and then he felt a presence in the room. He lay curled up on his side, his arms wrapped around his knees, shivering. "Pathetic," a familiar voice purred. Barty glanced over his shoulder—and nearly fainted with shock. Bellatrix stood there, looking nothing like the corpse he had left earlier. She had no wounds, no blood stains—no sign of the attack at all.

She was alive.

"You're alive," Barty spluttered, backing up as she advanced on him menacingly, like a panther waiting to capture its prey. "How—"

"If you're going to start killing, you best I'm all the way dead," she sneered, her face getting closer and closer. He could smell something metallic on her breath—was it blood? "Because I'll come back and make you my bitch." In a sudden, swift movement, she had stuck her knife under his chin threateningly. He whimpered, and she cackled cruelly. "Oh, Barty," she murmured, allowing her knife to trail down his neck and tease a small droplet of blood from his collarbone. She swiped her tongue across the bloody knife, and he shuddered. "You're too pathetic to add to my kill list."

And then she was gone, leaving nothing but that tangy smell of blood in the air.


	7. Secrets and Rumours

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 7: "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to get hung up on some high school rumour." - _The Ring_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Severus

 **Word Count:** 225

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 **Secrets and Rumours**

Severus scowled as Barty, a Slytherin in the year below him, placed his books on the table he was sitting at. He had found a secluded area of the library to study in, but Barty had found him once again. "What did I tell you? Leave me alone!"

"I thought we were friends," Barty replied with a scowl of his own. He slumped down in the chair opposite Severus nonetheless, and started flipping through his Potions textbook. Severus was looking through the same one.

"Why are you reading that?" he demanded to know. "You're not supposed to be studying that until your sixth year."

Barty shrugged. "I thought you didn't care?"

Severus rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "I'm sorry, okay?" he muttered, not sounding even the slightest bit sorry. "But us hanging out together...it just isn't going to work. Haven't you heard what Potter and his gang of miscreants have been saying about us?"

"Oh, that you're my boyfriend," Barty mimed air quotes around his head at the word 'boyfriend,' and scoffed loudly. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to get hung up on some high school rumour. If you ignore them, they'll start to leave you alone," Barty paused. "Believe me, I'm an expert on bullies."

Severus seemed to deflate a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right."


	8. Secrets at Grimmauld Place

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 8: "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." - The Woman

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Walburga

 **Word Count:** 358

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 **Secrets at Grimmauld Place**

Barty did his best not to dribble soup down his front as he ate his dinner dutifully. He was having dinner at Regulus's house, and his mother was sitting directly opposite him.

Regulus had never introduced Barty to his mother before, and now Regulus could see why. Walburga Black didn't seem much like a mother at all, but more like an intimidating older sister. She was tall and slender, with a head full of thick hair that was only finely streaked with white. Her dark eyes were observing and a little bit scary, and her overall presence gave Barty mixed feelings. Below the waist, his appendage didn't know whether to be frightened of Walburga or excited by her.

In the end, he settled for both, and tried his best not to stare at her plump, exposed cleavage as she folded her arms on the table, smiling around at Sirius, Orion, Barty and Regulus.

Regulus gave Barty a sudden kick under the table, and Barty jerked his head over in his friend's direction. The stern, pursed-lipped look on Regulus' face told Barty that he had noticed him staring, and he needed to quit it.

"So," Walburga purred suddenly, and Barty's insides churned with nerves. "What does your father do for a living, Barty?"

"You know what he does," grumbled Sirius from Barty's other side. "Ow!" Judging from Sirius' pained expression, Barty assumed he had just earned a kick from Regulus, too.

"Well of course," Walburga continued to drawl. "Not many people don't know, you see." She paused, her eyes flashing. "What do _you_ plan to do, Barty? Follow in your father's footsteps?"

Orion let out a muffled laugh, but Barty didn't look at him. He didn't to remember that Walburga had a husband. "Oh, no," Barty insisted, shaking his head furiously. "I do not want to work at the Ministry. I _hate_ what my father's does."

Walburga looked impressed, and Barty's stomach flooded with delight. "Very well," she murmured, and then proceeded to stand up and leave the table. She cast one last smirk over her shoulder at Barty. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."


	9. Secrets and Condoms

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 9: "I love you. And, I have a condom." - The Uninvited

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/James

 **Word Count:** 465

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 **Secrets and Condoms**

It had been through Regulus and Sirius that Barty and James had met, and most of the time, Barty was glad about that.

There were other times though, when he wished that he'd never allowed himself to fall prey to James Potter's advances.

James was mischievous and cheeky, his dishevelled hair and vivacious smirk had been more than enough for Barty to fall in love with him. They had been unofficially dating for about six weeks, but to Barty, it felt like much longer. He was well and truly infatuated with him, and he wanted to know that his feelings _meant_ something. He wanted to know that James felt the same way about him.

But getting the Marauder to admit to his feelings was easier said than done. James was too busy with his friends most of the time to spend time with Barty, and on some horrendous occasions, he had even suspected that James was flirting with other people. The thought made Barty feel sick to his stomach.

James _appeared_ to like him, but recently, Regulus had warned him that his brother's friend might be after more than just a relationship. Barty was yet to put out to James, as he was quite traditional in that sense. He wanted to make sure that James loved him too, before he had sex with him. When Regulus first mentioned this, Barty had scoffed—but after considering it, Barty began to wonder if it was true.

The thought plagued Barty's mind as he and James engaged in their most recent make-out session. James was kissing Barty heatedly, his hand trailing down Barty's chest. Every time the hand reached Barty's trousers, he grabbed James' hand and pulled it back up to his chest. "Barty," James finally whined, looking miffed. "When are you going to give up the jig?"

"When I know that you like me," Barty muttered through kisses, keeping a firm grip on James' hand.

"Of course I like you, idiot."

"Yeah, but," Barty paused. "I think I like you more than you like me." He took a breath. "I... _love_ you."

James was quiet for a long time, and Barty began to regret ever opening his mouth. Why couldn't he just be normal and let James sleep with him? Instead of shutting up, Barty found that his mouth was moving without his permission.

"Don't you love me?" he probed, hating himself for speaking.

James smiled suddenly, though Barty noticed that the smiled didn't quite reach his eyes. "Of _course_ I love you," he said, and then reached into his back pocket. Barty furrowed his brow as James revealed a square, foil packet. "And I have a condom."

Barty resisted the urge to sigh in James's face. Maybe eventually, James would grow to _actually_ love him.


	10. Secrets After Quidditch

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 10: "You can't get jealous of every (wo)man that I talk to!" - _Orphan_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Regulus

 **Word Count:** 310

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 **Secrets after Quidditch**

Barty scowled at his boyfriend as he and his brother's friend, James Potter, walked through the door of their shared apartment. He hated that he and Regulus were sharing such a small space with two other men, but money was tight.

As James headed into his bedroom, the smallest of the three, he turned and gave Regulus an exaggerated wink. "Remember what I said!" he called, and he ducked into his bedroom quickly. When the sound of music followed, Barty turned and glared at Regulus. "What the hell was he talking about?"

"Oh, Barty, not now," groaned Regulus, rubbing his temples. "James and Sirius absolutely _caned_ me at Quidditch practice today. I can't be bothered."

"Where is Sirius now?"

"He went to see Lupin."

"Yeah, I'll bet," scoffed Barty. "Leaving you and James to walk home alone."

Regulus shot Barty a glare. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're always coming in here, giggling and joking and making comments that I can't understand!" snapped Barty, his voice rising considerably. "He's clearly got a thing for you."

"He has a girlfriend, you idiot." Regulus flopped on the couch beside Barty and pulled off his trainers.

"So, what you're saying is, if he _didn't_ have a girlfriend, you'd go there?" Barty raised an eyebrow, and Regulus threw himself back on the couch, covering his face with his arms.

"Do you hear yourself right now? You can't get jealous of every man that I talk to, Barty!"

Barty pursed his lips, and carefully collected himself. Regulus was right. He was being an idiot. "I'm sorry," he muttered, folding his arms.

Regulus yanked at Barty's arm, pulling him down so that he was lying on top of him. Gently, he placed a wet kiss on the tip of Barty's nose, and smiled. "You know you're the only guy for me."


	11. Secrets at the Rock-Shaped House

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 11: "The bogeyman is real, and you found him." - House of 1,000 Corpses

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Luna

 **Word Count:** 391

* * *

 **Secrets in the Rock-Shaped House**

Barty cracked his neck as he advanced upon the odd, rock-shaped house. He had been running for years since he escaped from Hogwarts when he was supposed to receive the Dementor's Kiss. Most wizarding houses were within communities, something which he needed to avoid, so most of the time he found himself skulking in caves.

The rock-shaped house had become somewhere that he frequented nowadays. It had taken a while for the inhabitants of the house to warm up to him, but eventually they did - well, one of them did. The other person who lived there still had no idea that Barty spent so much time in his house.

He wandered around the house until he saw an upstairs window that was cracked open, and he quietly scaled the rocky terrain of the wall until he reached it. Quietly and stealthily, he slipped inside the room and pulled the window closed.

The silvery moonlight spilled through the bedroom and onto a small, feminine figure on the bed, and Barty felt his heart swell. She looked truly beautiful; her heart-shaped face was framed by her pale blonde hair, and her mouth was open slightly as she released soft snores. She was wearing a silky blue camisole and she was laying on her back, one hand over her stomach and one on the pillow beside her head.

Barty sat down on the edge of her bed carefully, and kicked off his shoes. At the movement, she grumbled in her sleep. "Daddy, I told you I'm not afraid of the bogeyman."

Barty sniggered and crawled up the length of the bed towards her, breathing in her natural, flowery scent. "The bogeyman is real," he whispered, covering her mouth with his lips. "And you found him." Her eyelids fluttered open, and after the initial shock, she melted into his kiss.

"Barty," she murmured into his mouth," entwining her arms around his neck. "You came back."

"Of course I did," he purred, sliding under the covers beside her. His hands roamed across her narrow waist and hips, and he took a sharp intake of breath. Every time he left, he forgot just how wonderful she felt beneath his hands.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he whispered, slipping his hand underneath the hem of her camisole. "I always do."


	12. Secrets and Games

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 12: "You're cute when you're violent." - _Unfriended_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Sirius

 **Word Count:** 429

* * *

 **Secrets and Games**

There was a fire in Barty's eyes as he sat at the top end of the bed he shared with his boyfriend, whilst Sirius lay on his front at the bottom, his eyes focused on the Muggle games console he was playing with.

It was Regulus's most prized possession, and Barty had to keep it a complete secret that he allowed Sirius to sneak into their apartment to use it whilst Regulus was working. There were other things that Barty had to keep a secret from Regulus, too—including the relationship he was having with Sirius, behind his little brother's back.

"Are you going to play with that all afternoon?" he finally snapped, glaring at the back of Sirius's dark, wavy-haired head. "Regulus will be home in about two hours."

"Just...another...five minutes..." Sirius replied, each word in between various attacks that his character was performing. Barty rolled his eyes. Sirius had said the same thing about three times already—over the course of the last two hours.

"You keep saying that!" he whined. When Sirius didn't reply, Barty landed a weak-handed thump on his shoulder.

Still, Sirius gave Barty no response. He narrowed his eyes, feeling anger washing over him. _No-one_ ignored Barty Crouch and got away with it.

He flew off the bed and lunged at Sirius, snatching the remote control out of his hand. In one swift movement, he threw the remote at the opposing wall, where it shattered in a dozen plastic pieces.

Sirius blinked for a few moments, staring at his empty hands. _"Player one has left the game,"_ the console bleated behind him. Barty crouched down slowly and switched off the television, and waited for the inevitable. Sirius to get angry and march out on him, totally pissed off that Barty had ruined the fun he was having.

After all, that's how _Barty_ would react, if the shoe was on the opposite foot.

Instead, Sirius grabbed Barty's hand and pulled him down onto the bed, rolling on top of him. "That was kind of hot," he murmured, his mouth hovering over Barty's. "You're cute when you're violent."

"Not that I'm complaining, but this wasn't the reaction I was expecting," Barty replied, curling his arms around Sirius's neck.

"Well, I used to like to wreck my brother's stuff too," Sirius murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to Barty's lips. "So I guess we have something in common."

"I guess so," Barty breathed, and the two of them began to kiss passionately, ignoring the pieces of the shattered remote control that were digging into Barty's back.


	13. Secrets in the Order

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 13: "I can't believe you're still alive!" - _Teeth_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Lily

 **Word Count:** 607

* * *

 **Secrets in the Order**

"There's someone on the perimeter," James announced to his wife, glancing out of the open window. They were at Augusta Longbottoms house James and Lily had offered to look after Neville for a few hours, while Augusta visited her son and daughter-in-law at the hospital, where they were now residents after the horrific attack. The protective charms were stronger than ever, and the new house that Augusta had bought for her and her grandson was deep in the middle of the country. There was no way that any Death Eaters could have discovered their location, especially not so soon after Alice and Frank's attack.

"It's okay!" a voice called from beyond the garden. Lily squinted, peering out into the darkness. She could make out a thin, male shape, though she couldn't tell who it was. "I'm not going to hurt anyone. I just need to speak to Lily."

"Who the hell is that?" James yelled through the window. "Why do you want to speak to my wife?"

"She will be safe!"

Lily blanched suddenly as she recognised the voice. "It can't be..." she whispered, her eyes growing wide. James turned his attention to her.

"Who is it?" he asked.

Lily took a breath. "James, I'm going to go and speak to him," she held up her hands at the expression that dawned on his features. "Don't worry, I'll be safe! I'll stay within the perimeter. I won't be in any danger."

"I'm coming with you."

"You need to stay with the children," Lily insisted, and James's shoulders relaxed.

"I don't like this."

"I'll be fine," Lily assured, and she slipped through the back door before James could comment.

Quickly and swiftly, she jogged across the lawn. She could feel James' glare burning into her back, and she felt safe with him watching over her—though she knew that their intruder wouldn't hurt her, despite what he had already done to their friends.

Barty Crouch looked much worse than he had ever done. He was deathly skinny; his face gaunt and pale, and his hair hung limp to his head. There was a permanent look of fear in his brown eyes, and for a moment Lily was reminded of the young, jumpy boy that she had met in the library.

They had become fast friends back then, as Barty was generally alone in Slytherin house. He came to her often for advice, which she was more than happy to give. How things had changed.

"I can't believe you're alive," she whispered, and Barty flinched at the sound of her voice. He couldn't see her through the protective charms, but he could hear her. "They should have caught you by now."

"Lily," he croaked, his voice sounding weak and dry. "I needed to speak to you...before they catch me."

"You need to turn yourself in," she demanded, feeling anger rising in her throat. This man had been one part of the unit that tortured two of her best friends into insanity. "I cannot believe you would come here...after what you've done..."

"I didn't want to do it!" Barty cried, his arms flailing. "I...I was stupid. I was inducted into that awful group because I thought it would upset my father. I never thought...I never imagined..." he paused, and Lily saw his eyes sparkling with tears. "You don't know how she can be. Bellatrix. You don't understand."

"What do you want?" she snapped. "I should kill you right now!"

"I need your advice," he whispered, his voice desperate. "Just one more time."

Lily grit her teeth. "Hand yourself in. I have nothing else to say to you."


	14. Secrets in Slytherin

\- 2 Week Drabble Wars/Prompt 14: "I don't take orders from no f*cking woman!" - _I Spit on Your Grave_

 **Pairings/Characters:** Barty/Alecto

 **Word Count:** 510

* * *

 **Secrets in Slytherin**

A lapse of silence fell over the top end of the Slytherin table, where Amycus Carrow's group of miscreants sat. Barty was sat a little away from them, as he usually tried to avoid being too close—Amycus and his gang generally tried their hardest to make Barty's life a misery, especially since Barty's father had put the Carrows' father into Azkaban recently.

After the post had been delivered (Barty received none, as usual), Alecto Carrow reached across him, extending her hand to her brother. "Here, Amycus. Mother must have put this in my parcel by mistake; it's addressed to you."

Amycus could hear her clearly—after all, he was only sitting a few seats away. However, he completely ignored his sister, choosing to carry on snickering with his friends.

"Amycus!" Alecto snapped a little louder. Still, she received no response. "Amycus, will you answer me?"

Amycus suddenly stood up, sending his cup of pumpkin juice flying across the table, and soaking the boy sitting opposite him. "I don't take orders from no fucking woman!" he yelled, glaring at his twin sister. Barty watched as her eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip quivered. She climbed out from the bench, and hurried out of the Great Hall, while Amycus and his gang laughed at her expense.

Barty felt a pang for Alecto. Just like him, Alecto was lonely at school, and she had few friends, if any. He often saw her tailing around Amycus and his gang, trying to be a part of their group, but she was most often ostracised. He quietly slipped away from the Great Hall, and headed down to the dungeons.

As he passed an empty Potions classroom, he heard the distinct sound of snuffling. He pushed the door open, and spotted Alecto sitting behind the teacher's desk, rubbing her eyes. "Alecto," he murmured, closing the door behind him.

Her eyes snapped up to glare at him accusingly. "What do you want, Crouch?" she snarled.

"I was...just seeing if you were okay."

"Why would you care?"

Barty shrugged and looked away. "I know you hate me because of my dad," he muttered, feeling uncomfortable. "But we're not the same." He paused. "Just like you and your brother aren't the same."

Her eyes softened, and she nodded. She shuffled to the side, making room for Barty to sit down behind the desk beside her, which he did. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I'm just...so used to doing what Amycus does. He teases you, so I have to tease you too. It's just...I suppose it's a twin thing."

"I understand," Barty said, though he wasn't being entirely truthful. "But you don't have to hang around with him."

"Who else do I have?"

Barty fidgeted with his thumbs. "I can be your friend."

There was a small silence, which Alecto finally broke. "Why would I want to be friends with you?" When Barty shot her a confused glance, her face broke into a grin, and she shoved him playfully. "I'm _joking._ Of course I'll be your friend."


End file.
